Inherited Will
by thefootenote
Summary: All Might never made it out of the titanic battle between himself and All for One. One for All, responding to Toshinori's sheer will and desire for a successor, searched far and wide for a hero worthy to shoulder its burden. It found one Izuku Midoriya, a quirkless boy with the heart of a hero. (Author's note may explain better) First Fanfic


Chapter One

All Might, or Yagi Toshinori, as close friends called him, was many things.

He was a man of justice, strength, compassion, and most importantly, willpower.

Everyday in his heroic duties Toshinori displayed these admirable qualities fighting against great evils in their crazy quirked world for anyone and everyone who needed him as the Symbol of Peace.

No matter the threat, All Might was always there to save the day with a witty one liner and a punch so powerful nature bent to its will, clouds roiling and rain falling.

For the first time in his long and storied career All Might felt his determination and strength waning and failing him, his greatest foe standing across from him, a haughty smile stretching the villain's features into something that was a mockery of joy and triumph, only his shaking hands and legs betraying his exhaustion.

All for One, Symbol of Evil and the monster who murdered Yagi's master and stood, limbs grotesquely muscular, drawn into a defensive posture, sharp gaze pointed straight at All Might.

All Might felt laid bare, his red, white and blue spandex suit doing nothing to help him feel covered, as if the villains eyes could see through cloth, skin, and muscle into his soul.

He was unsure if it was the wind that sent a chill through his massive muscular frame, his two pointed bangs billowing past his piercing blue eyes in the evening breeze.

"Glad to see you hold onto that foolish hope your master droned on about," All for One sneered across the shattered streets, buildings laying crumbled around them, "I would have thought your spirit broke with Shimura's neck, but all these years you've played the part of hero, lying to all those who look up to you like sheep to the shepherd."

At the mention of Nana Shimura, his master, All Might felt every muscle in his body tense, teeth grinding with intense fury, the cataclysmic power of One for All boiling beneath the surface begging to be released like a flood behind a dam.

All Might launched towards his enemy fist reared for a devastating blow, his hand singing through the air, like One for All was elated to strike its age-old nemesis.

All for One met the attack head on, arms crossed, feet digging into the concrete beneath him, digging furrows as All Might delivered punch after punch.

"**Leave her out of this you bastard**," All Might bellowed even as his strength waned, pulling on reserves of stamina he never knew he had, "**I will avenge my master, and all the innocent people you've harmed for your selfish games**!"

"Like you are any better," All for One questioned, strain finally showing in his voice, "You lead these people as their Symbol of Peace, but without your master you would've been powerless, nothing, just another nobody out there in the world and you dare talk of hope, propping yourself up as a false idol."

All Might ignored the insults, brow furrowed, quelling the doubt rising in his chest, knowing it was no time to falter.

"**Even if I am some false idol," **All Might yelled, "**you could never dream of standing for something beyond your own desires**!" his fists only gaining speed with his righteous fury.

In his barrage, All Might managed to slip a blow past the supervillain's defense, his fist crashing into All for One's face, bone shattering beneath hands that could destroy mountains.

"**UNITED STATES OF SMASHHHHH**" All Might cried out as his opponent slammed into the ground headfirst, a crater spreading from their battle ground, the earth splitting beneath their feet.

Silence reigned over what was essentially a warzone, all civilians having been evacuated hours before.

All Might barely stood, one hand still resting on All for One's face, taking deep shuddering breaths as he tried to recover, his body aching and groaning in protest at even remaining conscious.

With the battle over All Might took in his surroundings and the events of the past few minutes and tears nearly spilt from his eyes as he stared disbelieving at where his clenched fist still lay.

"**Master…. Nana…. It's finally over**." All Might whispered into the wind.

With All Might's guard down and his attention turned inward, he failed to see the spindly blade of a limb jab from beneath him into his stomach.

The sharp appendage ripped out of and across his stomach pulling his innards with it.

All Might sputtered and groaned as he felt his life draining from his abdomen, a deep, menacing laugh building from the body laying beneath him.

"You sentimental fool" All for One spat between his reverberating laughs, form rising slowly from the ground to tower over Toshinori.

The hero's bloodied hands tugged and grasped at All for One's clothes, vying for purchase to continue the fight.

"Now, my dear All Might, it is well and truly over," All for One bragged, voice echoing through the empty cityscape, "You will die here in the street like the dog you are, like your master, before you, and that cursed quirk shall die with you."

Through the haze of pain and wooziness All Might felt, he wondered how All for One knew he hadn't chosen the next user of One for All, the quirk pulsing through his own veins at the thought.

"I am **EVERYWHERE** you damned idiot!" All for One roared, quirks reinforcing his baritone voice, the theatrics for himself more than his captive audience.

"I have watched you from the beginning, waiting for the day I could finally strike you down, destroy you, tear you asunder!" All for One gloated, his excitement getting the better of him through his usually aloof demeanor.

With a single finger, All for One pushed on All Might's forehead, causing the once great hero to tumble backwards, falling to the floor of the crater, a dust cloud billowing out.

"I will admit, you damaged me gravely, my healing quirks are barely holding me together, but with that quirk finally demolished, I can bide my time for whatever I wish," the villain said, voice swelling with emotion, as his broken face twisted into a facsimile of an impossibly wide grin, threatening to tear his wounds further.

Laying, dying in the dirt All Might had just enough strength to fight through the pain, hearing every word of All for One's speech, his words nearly decimating his last bit of hope before Toshinori remembered the words of his master.

"_Always wear a smile, no matter how bad things get, be happy, for them_"

"**T-though I may die,**" All might spoke, a cough racking his shoulders, blood spraying with it,** "and even if One for All dies with me, there will always be those who stand for justice, and will do whatever it takes to keep the world safe, and none of us will bow to you.**" All Might all but cheered, the corners of his mouth stretching up despite his pallor, showing a bloodstained smile, mournful but filled with conviction, and the edges of his eyes crinkling defiantly as his iridescent eyes stared at the viscera that replaced the villains face.

The edges of Toshinori's vision began to darken, his blood pooling around them, crimson reflecting the clouds overhead, flashes of lightning briefly illuminating the cityscape, and the frown now pulling at what remains of All for One's mouth.

Staring into the sky, one single regret filled the Symbol of Peace's mind. He had failed to destroy this great evil, and the legacy that his master had passed onto him to cultivate, as others had before her, was going to be lost forever, leaving the world defenseless in the wake of his demise.

Rain began to fall over the Symbol of Peace and the Symbol of Evil, and as All Might drifted into death, he felt One for All activate one final time, like a comforting blanket, responding to his immense will, his need to save, and his desire to pass on the quirk to someone worthy to take his place, no, surpass him as a hero.

The darkened edges of All Might's vision began to close in, believing himself to be hallucinating as seven black figures, sharp white eyes staring down at his lifeless form one even reminding him of his deceased master.

All for One remained oblivious, as the seven extended their hands down to All Might, then thrust them to the sky as the light of Yagi Toshinori extinguished, an eighth figure joining the seven with a raised fist as the lightning overhead flashed a multitude of colors before finally striking in a forest green.

_**_Musutafu, Japan minutes later_**_

Izuku Midoriya, or Deku as his bullies called him, a nine-year-old quirkless boy, woke with a start sitting up straight, his usually untamable, curly, green hair plastered flat to his forehead in a cold sweat. A buzzing blared in his ears and a pressure bared down on him as his mind raced through the terrible nightmare, he had of his favorite hero being struck down. Nightmares were nothing new to Izuku, though usually his ex-friend Kacchan's torment and derisive taunts were the subject.

His psyche reeled from the scenes that seemed impossibly real to him of his favorite hero dying, Izuku inhaled deeply several times catching his breath. He finally took in his surroundings and realized the intense buzzing and pressure was nothing his mind conjured up. The air of his room, walls covered in hero memorabilia, felt charged as if a force of nature were within his home, like the storm outside had invaded.

He glanced around his room, eyes wide in fear, as eight figures materialized out of the shadows, eyes glowing, all their gazes fixed on Midoriya.

The figures startled him, his fear paralyzing him. A scream for his mother dying in his throat, all that escaped was a strangled whine as Izuku pulled his covers up tight to his neck.

As Izuku made to hide himself, one figure stepped from the crowd, standing at the foot of his bed, a grin barely showing through the wispy shadows that made up the being, its glowing yellow eyes dialed in on Midoriya, hands on his hips posing with its feet wide.

Though Izuku was shaking with fear, he couldn't help but take comfort in the figure, fondness rising in his chest as he recognized the pose of his favorite hero, All Might, the symbol of peace. Looking closer at the shade, he realized the silhouette matched All Might almost perfectly, gargantuan stature and gravity defying hair being a dead ringer for the Number One Hero.

"A-all Might?" Izuku squeaked out, eyes barely peeking over his comforter, the face of his hero emblazoned on its surface.

At the sound of his voice the grin of the figure seemed to widen, before it suddenly became something more somber as if he were silently apologizing, the figure slowly raised a hand almost beckoning to Izuku, the other shades mimicking his movement.

Entranced, Izuku raised a hand in tandem, fingers nearly brushing the figures extended fingers before a voice rang through his mind bringing with it a serene calm.

"_**You're Next**_"

As those two words rang through his mind, Midoriya felt a flood of sensations. Peace. Love. Hope. Strength. Power. As soon as the energy hit him, Izuku's arm began to glow with green lightning a feeling of pure energy coursing through his body, a numb tingle encompassing the limb.

A gasp of surprise escaped his lips before it morphed into a gasp of pain as the tingling turned to burning and his arm began to take on a purple tint, he scrambled shaking his arm trying to make the feeling disappear, his childish logic thinking he could detach the energy.

When Midoriya threw his arm forward a blast of air blew from his fist decimating his bedroom wall, the stormy skyline now apparent through the hole, the building rumbling from the power, Izuku screamed out in pain, his arm blackened, shards of bone jutting out from the skin at haphazard angles and his blood slowly collecting on his sheets.

Izuku began to fade to unconsciousness as his door flew open, the portly figure of his mother running into the room, her viridian eyes wide as saucers at the destruction.

The figures dissipated, but not before Izuku noticed an apologetic frown on the lead figure, its posture slumped in resignation, their forms gone before his mother could notice.

The screams of Izuku's mother faded with his consciousness, "Oh my god! Izuku are yo-", and with that Izuku succumbed to his injuries, passing out from the immense pain.

**Author's Note: Hi there everybody! This is my very first fanfic, and I'm a little rusty with my writing so feel free to let me know what you think. Obviously, some things are very different from canon with the whole All Might being dead thing. (Sorry to do him dirty like that, but he will appear later!) I wanted to write a story that differentiated from the real thing in some interesting ways. One for All is the wills and quirks of the users passed on. SO in this universe the DNA transference has gone by the wayside as the strength of their wills influences the world around them and is what selects someone with the true spirit of a hero! **

**I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants, but I have a rough outline of where things will go from here. Shipping or the lack thereof is undecided as of now so if you all have any suggestions leave them for me.**

**Will contain mentions of gore and mature language, so if that's not your bag hop off this train now.**

**Again, thank you for reading and feel free to leave a review! Any feedback is good feedback!**


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